Apparatus for manufacturing wood-gas.



R. M. POOLE.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING W601) GAS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26,1912.

Patented Jan. 27, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. M. POOLE.

APPARATUS 3011 MANUFACTURING WOOD GAS. APPLICATION FILED AUG 26, 1912.

1,085,389. Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

2 BHEET8-SHEET 2.

ROBERT MURTON POOLE, OF MOUNT GAMBIER, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING WOOD-GAS.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented J an. 27, 1914.

Application filed August 26, 1912. Serial No. 717,200.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT MURTON PooLE, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, &c., residing at Mount Gambier, in the State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Manufacturing Wood-Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to means for producing from wood illuminating and fuel gases, and valuable byproducts. The illuminating gas can in known manner be strongly compressed, as for transport and storage, and can be expanded for consumption. It has special lighting power, and if burned on a WVelsbach or like mantle produces a light sufficiently approaching daylight in quality to allow of excellent night photography including portraiture with apparatus ordinarily used with day photography. It allows of colorvwork at night that is not now usual because of the difiiculty of then distinguishing colors. It can be advantageously burned at lower pressure than suits coal gaswith under 2 inches of pressureexcellent light is obtained. It is not adversely affected like air gas made with benzin by changes of temperature.

My gas yields a blue flame, almost invisible by day, which affords great heat and which is useful for cooking it being free from unpleasant odors or products of combustion. It is also valuable for internal combustion engines, as it deposits practically no carbon in the combustion chamber.

By retorting wood, and by the treatment of its gases, I obtain charcoal and many by-products the commercial value of which Some woods are of greater gas making value than others, and when hard and soft woods are available I mix them. Pinus z'nsz'gm's produces more gas of high lighting quality (by the aid of incandescent mantles) than does an equal weight of eucalyptus, but the latter and hard woods generally are nevertheless valuable.

The accompanying drawings are diagrammatic, and not to scale, nor do they show relative sizes or proportions of parts, nor all such obvious details as the dampers,

valves, hand holes, and so on that are installed in practice, such minor points of engineering construction being already well understood.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, with parts shown in section, of a portion of an apparatus constituting one embodiment of my invention; and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the remaining portion of the apparatus;

the pipe connections between the two portrons of the apparatus bein indicated by similar reference symbols in 0th figures.

Referring to the drawings, 4; indicates one of a series of wood retorts connected by pipes 71. and 71. with a header h for receiving the gases and vapors distilled from the wood. The pipes h are provided with downward extensions having one or more enlargements k for the deposition of heavy substances, a valve it being provided to permit ready removal of said deposits. The retorts a are heatedby suitable furnaces 0 provided with chambers f containing auxiliary retorts b and communicating with the discharge flues' f; dampers 1 being provided in said flues for controlling the flow of the hot products of combustion through said chambers f. As shown in the drawings, the wood retorts a are provided at both ends with discharging doors exterior to the furnace walls and the connections h and h of said retorts are also positioned exteriorly of the furnace to prevent injurious overheating ,thereof and to permit ready access for repairs.

' A pipe it conducts the vapor and gases from the header [1. to an elevated condenser 2' in which the different liquid products of condensation are partially separated by gravitation, said pipe h discharging into the condenser 2' at a point below an outlet-pipe 2' for the lighter liquid condensations, such as pyroligneous acid. The heavy tarry condensations are withdrawn from the condenser from time to time by an outlet pipe 1' provided with a valve 71 an overflow pipe provided with a gage 2' being connected with said pipe'z' for preventing the tarry condensations from rising in the condenser to the level of said outlet pipe '5 of the latter, This improved construction eliminates all danger of the uncondensed gases remaining in contact with the tar during cooling, thereby preventing absorption of illumlnants from the gases by said tar. I have shown the condenser provided with a water jacket 71' provided with baflies i and with an inlet i and an outlet pipe '5 for the cool ing water; cooling tubes i extending through the condenser in communication with said water jacket. The hot retort gases delivered by the pipe k to the condenser 11 are materially cooled by bubbling up through the cooled liquid condensations therein, and are conducted from the condenser by a pipe i to the top of an annular condenser j where their temperature is further reduced and impurities condensed; the liquid condensations' being Withdrawn from said annular condenser by a valved drain 9'. I have shown a pipe j for conducting the gases from the bottom of the condenser j to the top of a duplicate condenser 1' and the gas can be thus circulated downwardly through any desired number of condensers. The annular condensers can be readily water'cooled in hot weather by flowing water downward over their exterior surfaces.

An exhauster w is shown for withdrawing the gases through a pipe 41: from the condenser j and delivering it through a pipe 12 to a washer and purifier Z containing lime water, or other suitable purifying substance; the gas passing through the lime water into a bel Z 1 provided with a discharge pipe m. The pipes m and m are provided with valves and connected by a valved by-pass m to provide means for cutting out the exhauster w and directing the gas from the condenser 7' tothe purifier Z. The purifier Z is provided with a dished bottom having an outlet pipe Z controlled by a valve Z for drawing off the heavier substances deposited from the gas. X The pipe m discharges the purified gas into a washer 7:. provided with a gage glass at, and maintained partly full of water which is renewed or freshened from time to time; the gas entering through a submerged gravity-seated ball valve similar to the hereinafter described valve '0'. The gas is conducted by a pipe n from the top of the washer n to the gas holder, and is there termed gas I The lighter liquid condensations are conducted by the pipe ?1 from the condenser to a receiver 0 which has a valve-controlled drain 0 and communicates with the heated auxiliary retort b by a feed pipe 0 provided with a controlling valve 12 and a safety valve 11,- said valve 6 being adjusted to maintain a drip or feed, proportionate to the rate of gasification in the retort b. The temper-- ature of the retort b is regulated by the damper f to 'drive oil the gases and readily volatile matters; which are conducted by a pipe 0 to a condenser coil 0, from which the distillates are discharged into a tank 0 a residue of tarry matters, creosote, etc. being drained from the retort b by a drain pipe 'providedwith a valve 6 The tank 0' is provided with a discharge pipe'p controlled by a valve 7 for conducting the liquid distillates to a feed reservoir 7), which latter is shown provided with a sight feed-device p for furnishing a uniform supply of the liquid distillates to a vaporizer 9 within the heating chamber 7* of a furnace provided with a damper T The vaporizer g is heated to cause vaporization and partial gasification of the distillates supplied thereto, and the vapor is conducted therefrom through a valve-controlled pipe 9 to a header g; a-

valved by-pass p connecting said header with the feed reservoir pto equalize the pressure in the latter for regulating the flow through said sight feed 7)".

A pipe 9 conducts the gases from the va orizer g to one or more highly heated retorts s in the furnace chamber 1', for fixing said gases. I have shown two retorts 8 connected at their rear ends to'cause the gases to flow successively therethrough; gases of high quality being conducted from said retorts s by a pipe 8 leading to a condenser t. Such gases as'are not condensed in the coil 0 pass from the distillate tank 0 through a pipe 0 providedwith a non-return check valve 0 to said pipe 8, where they intermix with the gases from the retorts s. The condenser 25 is provided with a water jacket 25' having'inlet and outlet pipes 15 and t for the cooling water, and wlth a valve-controlled drain pipe 15 for removing the impurities condensed from the gas; an exhauster a may be placed in the pipe 8' if desired.

The cooled gases are conducted by a pipe I t from the condenser t to a washer '0 pro-, videdwith a gage glass '0 and a submerged gravity-seated ball valve '2), similar to the washer n previously described; The gas is conducted by a pipe '0 from the top of the washer '0 to aseparate gas holder and is there termed gas 2.

- The gases y and 2 .are stored in separate tanks, from whichthey are conducted to a gasometer where they are mixed to produce a high quality gas. I

The residues drawn oil from the con densers z, 1', 1' and t, and also theresidues from thetank 0 and the retort b, constitute valuable by-products which can be utilized in the arts in the usual manner.

from said retorts, means for distilling the light distillates in such condensation, means for subjecting the gases of such last distillation to a high temperature for fixing said gases, and means for mixing such fixed gases with the permanent gases first produced by the destructive distillation of the wood.

2.111 an apparatus for manufacturing wood gas, the combination of a furnace, wood retorts within said furnace for roducing a rapid destructive distillation o the Wood, a heating chamber in said furnace, an auxiliary retort in said chamber, a damper for regulating the passage of the hot furnace gases through said chamber,

means for condensing the crude products .from the permanent gases in the volatile products from said wood retorts, means for conducting the light distillates of such condensation to said auxiliary retort for partially gasifying such distillates, and means for subjecting the gas from said auxiliary retort to a high fixing temperature.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT MURTON POOLE.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK HENRY DANIEL, JAMES ISAAC FAIRWEATHER. 

